- Chapter
Oh god. It’s been so long since somebody’s touched
me like this. I don’t exactly like the guy, but… god,
I don’t know! I thought he was just trying to see me
naked. I thought he was going to just reach around
and grab my tits or something, but…
Well, he didn’t. In fact, he’s been very gentle about
this whole thing. I feel his hands work their magic
across my back, and somehow, even though he’s
the one who fucked me up to begin with, I feel safe
somehow. Safe, for the first time in a long time.
“All done,” he tells me as his warm hands pull away.
At first, I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I only
let him because I really needed it. I had hoped he
wouldn’t see the cut, but now…I hate to admit it, but
I wish he wouldn’t stop.
I pull my shirt back down, rather reluctantly.
X
“Thanks…” I mumble. I wanted it to sound better
than that, but I’m kind of pissed at myself for feeling anything but hatred for him.
“You really thought I’d… I mean, why’d you…I…
you really thought I was gonna, well, grab your…
“You’re asking if I thought you were gonna grab my tits?” I say flatly.
He seems a bit surprised by my candor. “Well, yeah.”
“Of course I did. No doubt in my mind.”
“Why would you…?”
“Are you fuckin‘ serious man? You’re a police officer. You’re just criminals with a license to get away with it.”
I still haven’t looked at him yet. I kind of bite my
bottom lip gently. I didn’t mean to be so direct,
but like…it just came out. All of the frustration and
anger. –
“And thanks to you, here I am now while my kid is
in danger.”
J
I turn around to stare him in the eyes while I tear a strip off him. To my surprise, he doesn’t flinch, but isn’t angry. He almost seems… pensive.
“Do you really think that I do this shit because I like to? You think that I haven’t tried to find another way of living?”
I know that I’m saying too much, but it’s like… I’m a river that’s been dammed for so long. It all just comes pouring out at once, and whatever may be in its path… well…
“You have to be the dumbest detective on the planet if you think that people like me have a choice.”
I can’t stop now. I can only sit back and watch
myself in horror as I let it all out.
“For you, the Baron is a criminal. He does bad things. But you’re fucking REMOVED from the
situation. Who do you think he does the bad things
to?”
I hear my voice slowly rising. Its timbre becomes more and more distressed and angry. Oh god, it feels so good. I don’t know why I’m telling him all these
things.
g him all these
“Do you think I had a fuckin‘ choice when I stole
the tape? You ever seen your son in the hands of a violent person, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn’t hurt him…”
Then I stop. I have to stop. The room goes silent.
I can feel the heat coming to my eyes as all of the anger and frustration fights to release itself at once.
But I won’t cry. Not in front of a cop. Even if he’s not… well, he’s not the worst I’ve seen.
Instead, I finish with the only thing that really
matters.
“I would do anything for them not to hurt my boy.”
To my surprise, my captor doesn’t say anything. He
isn’t angry. He isn’t cocking his arm to hit me.
He’s thinking.
“I’m sorry,” he finally manages after some time.
“You’re right. I am removed, and I hadn’t stopped to
consider what makes people do what they do.”
I feel my heart beating in my chest. What in the actual fuck is happening right now? Who is this cop? And why is he not a deranged piece of garbage like the rest of them?
“I…” he pauses again, and then looks at me intentionally. I feel hooked by his eyes, as if I can’t pull back.
“Listen. If you would testify… we could take down this piece of shit together…
I almost jump at the suggestion, and my heart tries to fly up my throat.
“Jesus, no! I can’t testify against the Baron. Are you crazy? Are you CRAZY?”
“No, hold on, I know it’s scary-”
“SCARY? Have you seen the shit this guy does to people???
“Of course I have!” he kind of snaps, and it takes me by surprise. But I bunker down even harder.
“NO YOU HAVEN’T! At least, not everything.
You guys see what he wants you to see. We…” My
300 PM
guys see Jailbreak My Heart
X
voice trails off as the memories that I try so hard to
suppress come flashing back into my
“God, the things he does…”
mind.
He pauses for a moment. “I can’t say I understand what you’re feeling, okay? I’d be lying. But I
can tell you that with your help, we can put this son–of–a–bitch away for the rest of his life.”
“I…” God, I want it so bad. I want him to suffer. I
want him off the streets, away from my boy. But….
The thought of him doing those things to my son shocks me in a way I’ve never felt before.
“No fucking way. There’s no way I can testify against
him. He’s going to kill me. Torture me, and not just
- me. I have my son to think about. I already told you:
I’d do anything to protect him.”
My captor looks like he’s about to say something, but the flash of lights through the small window of
the cell block distracts us from our conversation.
He’s also noticed. Our eyes lock for a moment, and
3:00 PM c d
My captor looks like he’s about to say something, but the flash of lights through the small window of
the cell block distracts us from our conversation.
He’s also noticed. Our eyes lock for a moment, and
we both listen.
It’s a vehicle, and… it stopped! It’s pulling in!
“Yesss!” he pumps his fist in triumph.
My reaction is much more sombre.
“Oh, you naïve fool…” is all I can mutter.
He glances back toward me, surprised at my retort.
“We’re about to get out of here. What is your
problem?” he asks me, kind of irritated.
“Oh, we’re getting out of here, all right. But we
won’t be walking.”
